American League claims All-Star game with Mike Trout nearly outshining Jeter

The American League walked away a winner in the Major League All-Star Game for the second consecutive season and will possess home field advantage for the 2014 World Series.

But for a game that ultimately means so much for two teams many months from now, the game did not have the feel of a truly competitive matchup between the greatest stars in the game.

Farewell Jeter

After making his All-Star debut in Colorado in 1998, Derek Jeter played in his 14th, and final, All-Star Game Tuesday night in Minneapolis. And the spotlight was his, as has been the case for just about everywhere the Yankee captain goes this season.

John Farrell gave Jeter the opportunity to bat leadoff for his American League squad and the shortstop took advantage immediately with a double down the right field line in Target Field. The line drive bounced up against the wall and to Yasiel Puig too late for him to have any chance to throw Jeter out. He stood at second safely with a leadoff double for the home side.

Trout wins MVP

Mike Trout - the eventual MVP of the game and the player many people are dubbing as Jeter's predecessor - tripled following Jeter's double. The three-bagger drove in Jeter and kept a first inning rally going for the AL team.

After a Robbie Cano strikeout, Adam Wainwright served up a home run to Tigers' slugger Miguel Cabrera. The cleanup hitter's dinger left the yard in a hurry and put the American League up 3-0 against Mike Matheny's ace - both in the game and with the St. Louis Cardinals. Wainwright did get through the first inning, but that would be it for him on the night.

Clayton Kershaw relieved Waino in the second inning and had much more success with a breezy, 1-2-3, 11-pitch inning. There wasn't a single pitcher who threw more than an inning on either side.

The National League didn't go quietly and tied the game up in the fourth inning on a Jonathan Lucroy double that scored Dee Gordon. The single run in the fourth was enough to tie the ballgame after the NL struck for two runs in the second inning when Lucroy delivered again. The Brewers' catcher double for the first time in that second inning to score Chase Utley. Utley doubled right before him to score Lucroy's teammate Aramis Ramirez.

But Trout was too much to handle. The young phenom doubled in the fifth to score Oakland A's catcher Derek Norris. And Jose Altuve hit a sacrifice fly deep enough to score Alexi Ramirez in the next at-bat. Ramirez took over for Jeter at shortstop in the fourth inning, who received a standing ovation from the packed house.

Minnesota native and Twins closer Glen Perkins notched the save in front of his home crowd with an easy 1-2-3 inning. He retired Charlie Blackmon on a ground ball to second that clinched the win and the World Series home field for the American League. Trout was awarded the Ted Williams MVP trophy shortly after that came along with his choice of a Chevy Corvette or truck.

He chose "the 'Vette," as he called it.

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